Robust Mitochondrial Isolation from Rodent Cardiac Tissue

Summary

Bioenergetic and metabolomic studies on mitochondria have revealed their multifaceted role in many diseases, but the isolation methods for these organelles vary. The method detailed here is capable of purifying high-quality mitochondria from multiple tissue sources. Quality is determined by respiratory control ratios and other metrics assessed with high-resolution respirometry.

Abstract

Mitochondrial isolation has been practiced for decades, following procedures established by pioneers in the fields of molecular biology and biochemistry to study metabolic impairments and disease. Consistent mitochondrial quality is necessary to properly investigate mitochondrial physiology and bioenergetics; however, many different published isolation methods are available for researchers. Although different experimental strategies require different isolation methods, the basic principles and procedures are similar. This protocol details a method capable of extracting well-coupled mitochondria from a variety of tissue sources, including small animals and cells. The steps outlined include organ dissection, mitochondrial purification, protein quantification, and various quality control checks. The primary quality control metric used to identify high-quality mitochondria is the respiratory control ratio (RCR). The RCR is the ratio of the respiratory rate during oxidative phosphorylation to the rate in the absence of ADP. Alternative metrics are discussed. While high RCR values relative to their tissue source are obtained using this protocol, several steps can be optimized to suit the individual needs of researchers. This procedure is robust and has consistently resulted in isolated mitochondria with above-average RCR values across animal models and tissue sources.

Introduction

Mitochondria are subcellular organelles that establish cytoplasmic energetic conditions optimized for specific cell functions. While cellular, tissue, and organism-level studies can provide insights into mitochondrial function, isolating the organelles offers a level of experimental control not possible otherwise. Mitochondrial isolations have been performed since the 1940s, allowing mechanistic studies of metabolism and respiration across a variety of cells and tissues^1,2. The historical relevance of mitochondria is also well-documented³. As the main producers of ATP, mitochondria play....

Protocol

The use and treatment of all vertebrate animals were performed in accordance with approved protocols reviewed and accepted by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) at Michigan State University. This protocol was designed using both male and female Hartley albino guinea pigs and Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. For the isolation of cardiac mitochondria from guinea pigs, animals were sacrificed at ages between 4-6 weeks (300-450 g). Cardiac mitochondria from SD rats of both sexes were obtained between the ages o.......

Discussion

Adhering to the methods concisely described in this protocol will ensure the isolation of well-coupled mitochondria from the cardiac tissue of small rodents, in addition to other tissue types and sources. Overall, the process should take a total of 3-3.5 h, during which all animal tissue, samples, and isolates should remain on ice at 4 °C as much as possible to limit degradation. This procedure is robust and can be altered in several ways to better fit experimental goals and models utilized. One modulation that can .......

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
1.7 mL microcentrifuge tubes
10 mL glass beaker			For organ disection and mincing
50 mL centrifuge tubes			Centrifugation
Adenosine 5'-diphosphate monopotassium salt dihydrate	Sigma	A5285	Respirometry assays
BSA Protein Assay Kit	Thermo Scentific	PI23225	Mitochondrial protein quantification
Dextrose	Sigma	DX0145	For buffer (CB)
Ethylene glycol-bis(2-amino-ethylether)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid	Sigma	E4378	For buffers (CB and IB) and respirometry assays
Glass cannula	Radnoti		Guinea pig and rat heart perfusion
Heparin sodium porcine mucosa	Sigma	SRE0027-250KU	Animal IP injection
High-resolution respirometer			Clark-type electrode; oxygraph with 2 mL chambers
Induction chamber
Isoflurane	Sigma	792632	Anesthetic
L-malic acid	Sigma	02288-50G	Respirometry assays
Magnesium chloride hexahydrate	Sigma	M9272	For buffer (RB)
Mannitol	Sigma	MX0214	For buffer (IB)
Microliter syringes			Sizes ranging from 5–50 µL
Microplate reader			Must be able to incubate at 37 °C
MOPS	Sigma	475898	For all buffers
O2 tank
OMNI THQ Homogenizer	OMNI International	12-500	Similar rotor stator homogenizers will work
pipettes			Volumes of  2–20 µL; 20–200 µL; 200–1000 µL
Potassium chloride	Sigma	P3911	For buffers (RB and CB)
Potassium phosphate dibasic	Sigma	795496	For buffers (IB and RB)
Protease from Bacillus licheniformis	Sigma	P5459
Sodium chloride	Sigma	S9888	For buffer (CB)
Sodium pyruvate	Fisher bioreagents	BP356-100	Respirometry assays
Sucrose	Sigma	8510-OP	For buffer (IB)
Surgical dissection kit			Depends on animal and tissue source
Tabletop centrifuge			Must cool to 4 °C